China Facts

Interesting Facts for Kids

Here are some interesting China Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

China Facts for Kids

Population: 1.4 billion people live in China (2018). The majority of the people live in cities and towns.

Capital: Beijing with 21 million inhabitants is not only China's capital city but also the second biggest city after Shanghai.

Name: People's Republic of China (PRC)

Government: Republic, communist state

China Flag

Languages: Mandarin or Standard Chinese (official language), while Cantonese (Yue) and Shanghainese (Wu) are among other most spoken languages

Literacy: More than 96% can read and write.

Religion: No main religion, as religious memberships are not supported by the government. Main religions are Buddhist (18%), Christian 5%, Muslim 1.8%, Taoist, Hindu and Folk Religions (22%)

Currency: 1 Renmimbi (Yuan) equals 100 Jiao

Flag colors: red with five golden stars

National day: 1 October - in 1949 the People's Republic of China was formed.

National symbols: dragon and giant panda

National colours: red and yellow

History: For many centuries, China has been one of the most advanced civilisations accomplishing major scientific and artistic treasures. The Xia and Shang dynasties are considered as the oldest Chinese civilisations. Over the centuries many emporors ruled the country, the last emperor of China, the last ruler of the Qing dynasty, was Pu Yi who abdicted in 1912. In the 20th century the world was shaken by bloody wars and from 1937-1945 Japan occupied large industrial areas in China and took over the Chinese government. Since 1949 the Communist Party of China rules the country. The current president of the People's Republic of China is Xi Jinping.

Where is China? - China Map

China is located in the eastern parts of Asia and is the largest country that is entirely situated in Asia. China is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and the USA. China has the longest international land border and borders with 14 countries.The countries bordering China are: Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Burma (or Myanmar, which is the official name), Laos, Vietnam and North Korea (you will find them on the map below).

Map of China

China has 23 provinces, the country considers Taiwan to be their 23rd province.

China for Kids: China Geography

China is the most populous country in the world as it is home to almost one fifth of the world population. Did you know, that China is slightly smaller in size than the USA? Although China is so large, there is only one timezone! Most people in China live in the eastern parts of the country, the western parts are only sparsely populated.

The Pacific Ocean forms the natural border in the east and southeast and southwest of the country. In the west, there are the Himalayas Mountains, which is the highest mountain range in the world. Most of the western parts of the country lie on the Tibetan mountainous plateau and in fact, mountains make up the majority of the landscape, dominating over 70% of the landmass. In the north, there is the vast Gobi Desert. Deserts are making up about 20% of the country. The huge country has many different climate zones ranging from tropic zones to arctic zones.

The highest mountain on the border with China is the Mount Everest, the world's highest mountains, with 8,848 metres (29,000ft). The longest river in China is the Yangtze River with over 6,300km (3,914miles) in length.

China will soon have the world's longest bridge. In July 2018 the Hongkong to Zhuhai-Macao bridge will be opened to traffic. It will also have the world's longest underwater tunnel!

China Facts:Attractions for Kids

China's Great Wall

Great Wall of China: Walk along parts of the over 8,850km/5,500 miles long Great Wall which once was the border of the old Chinese empire. The wall stretches across China from the Korean border into the Gobi desert. This is the longest wall in the world and newer archeological findings report that the entire defence works including the Great Wall and all its branches stretches over 21,000km/13,000 miles! Did you know, that the name in ancient Chinese actually meant 'The 10,000-Mile Long Wall' or 'Incredibly Long Wall'?

Terracotta Warriors: See the over 5000 sculptures of life-size soldiers, made from terracotta, in Xian. The sculptures which are on one of the world's most famous archeological sites, are older than 2,000 years.

Forbidden City in Beijing: The Forbidden City houses the Palace museum with the Chinese Imperial Palace and the Summer Palace, that were still used until 1911.

Potala Palace in Lhasa/Tibet: This is where every Dalai Lama has held his official residence until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950

Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve near Chengdu: See the pandas in their natural habitat and visit the breeding and research centre to learn more about the endangered pandas.

Guilin Yangshuo River

Guilin: The rough limestone karst mountains along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo are very picturesque. People enjoy rafting on river.

'The Bund' in Shanghai: Shanghai is the largest and most populated Chinese city with the busiest port in the world. The Bund is the megacity's main shopping and business district.

Hongkong: Visit Victoria harbour. Enjoy the amazing views of the skyscrapers along the shoreline or get to the top of Victoria Peak and have a bird's eye view of the city and the harbour.

Some China Facts about Chinese People

Almost one in five people on our earth live in China, while the country is smaller than the USA. The Chinese government lifted the one-child policy in 2016, now Chinese parents are allowed to have two children.

Many Chinese live in the megacities (cities with more than 5 million inhabitants) of the country, in rural areas the living standard is still very poor and many people live there live in huts or along the rivers in stilt houses.

Chinese Opera Singer

The Chinese love music and opera plays, although the voices of the Chinese opera singers may sound strange to our ears.

Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year, is the biggest celebration on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar start at the end of January/early February each year and every year another animal sign symbolises the strength and the weaknesses. There are 12 zodiac/animal signs and thus every 12 years the animals signs start over again. 2018 is the year of the dog.

Children look very much forward to the Chinese New Year celebrations which are two weeks long celebrations over the new year when they get gifts, often money wrapped in red envelopes or red packets, from family and friends. Popular 'Lion Dances' also take place during this time. The dragon is the most celebrated symbol of prosperity and strength.

Chinese Language

Although Mandarin Chinese is the official language, in many regions other languages are spoken such as Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hainanese or Mongolian.

Ni Hao - Hello in Chinese Writing

The Chinese writing is done from top to bottom in little symbols or signs, called 'characters' of which an adult usually knows about 8,000 different characters. With 13 years most Chinese children can read and write 3,000 characters.

Some Chinese words good to know:

Ni hao! means Hello!

Xie Xie means Thank You

Gong Xi Fa Cai! means Happy Chinese New Year!

China Facts: Chinese Food

The traditional diet in China contains low amounts of protein such as meats or dairy products. Many Chinese dishes are vegetable and soya based. Chinese often eat/drink soup for breakfast and rice based dishes are eaten throughout the day.

Soy, vegetable and rice products are the most common ingrediences in Chinese dishes. Chinese mainly eat with chopsticks and drink their soups instead of eating them with a spoon as we do. Here is some typical Chinese food:

Springrolls

Springrolls: The fried rice paper rolls are surely the most famous food export

Chow Mein: stir-fried egg noodles with chicken strips

Tofu: soy bean curd used in many dishes

Sweet and sour pork: fried cubed pork and fried vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce often made with capsicum peppers and pineapple

Peking Duck: duck roast with crispy thin skin, often served with plum sauce

Dim Sum: Steamed dumplings filled with minced meat or vegetables

Chinese Dim Sum

China Facts: China Animals

Young Giant Panda

There are many endangered animal species living in China. Among them are the Giant Panda, the South Chinese Tiger and the Chinese Alligator.

Resources

China Family Adventure: Great resources to learn more about China can be found on this site. The informative and well laid out website is written and maintained by a Chinese expat and her children and gives comprehensive information and important China facts.

China Highlights: Another good site for China facts and information the main attractions of China is this one. Click here.

Please bookmark our page if you are interested in China Facts for Kids as our China for Kids page will be updated regularly. Feel free to contact us if you or your school would like to join in our schools project. Looking forward to hearing from you!